Ground-terminal connection for electric conductors.



w. H. BLOOD, JR-

' GROUND TERMINAL CONNECTION FORELECTRIC CONDUCTORS.

APPLICATION FiLED JULY 9.1915.

1,1 9 1 ,940. Patented July 25, 1916.

ground connection consisting of a novel com- I WILLIAM H. BLOOD, .13., OF WELLESLEY, vmssAonvsnrrs.

GRdUND-TERMINAL CONNECTION FOR ELECTRIC CON DUCTORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25,1916.-

Application filed July 9, 1915. Serial No. 38,983.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. BLOOD, J r., a citizen of the United States, residing at Wellesley, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented .an

Improvement in Ground-Terminal Connections for Electric Conductors, of which the following is a specification.

In grounding electric conductors it is a common expedient to use a water pipe or other pipe as the terminal, and to attach the conductor thereto. Safety demands that the connections shall be eflicient and permanent, and the underwriters so require.

Heretofore it has been common to, solder the conductor to a specially made terminalclamp arranged for engagement with the pipe. Other expedients alsohavebeen em ployed, such as winding the conductor, tightly around the pipe without soldering,

which has been found to be inreliable owing to the coiled end-portion uncoiling and loosening its grip on the-pipe, or breaking by reason of the weakening from overstrain.

My invention embodies a new form of electric conductor, bared if the conductor is covered with insulation, and bent to form a circular embracing portion for the pipe with a loop-like formation at each'end there of, a connecting-plate or member arranged to engage the loop-like ends of said embracand 2 the end-portion mg portion, and means to exert upon said connecting-plate a strain or pressure in an outward direction, substanti lly radial to the embracing-portion thus to cause the embracing-portion to tightly engage the pipe or other terminal. The electric conductor employed should be of heavy or stiff wire.

Figure-1, is a-side elevation of a ground terminal connection embodying this invention. Fig. 2, is a bottom plan' view of the same. Fig. 3, is a side elevation of a modified form of my invention, and, Fig. 4, is a bottom plan view of the same. I

In the embodiment. of my invention shown in Figs-1 and 2, wherein a simple form is shown for illustration, 1 represents the pipe,

of the electric-conductor, which is bared if the conductor is covered with insulation. This conductor is composed of quite heavy-or stiff wire. Said end-portion of the conductor is bent to form bination'including the end-portion of an.

skilled workman, and is a circular embracing-portion 3 of a' diameter to snugly engage or fit the pipe, and I loop:like portions at the ends of said em-v bracing-portion, connecting-plate provided, having orequivalent member 7 slots, recesses orholes,

designated at 5 and 6.'- A

which may be cut inward fromits opposite 7 I edges. A bolt is provided as a means for exerting upon Sal'd connecting-plate an out ward thrust, thereby to cause the embracingportionto tightly engage the-pipe, and, as I iere shown, the shank 9 of said bolt is ex tended through a hole in the plate7, which Y may or may not be threaded, and its end brought into engagement with the pipe, and

a nut 10, is or may be arranged on the threaded shank-portion between the plate andpipe, which nut is I held by said portions against turning while the bolt is turned. Turning 'of the bolt acts also arranged b tween the loop-like portions and thereby to move the nut in an outward direction on the shank and against move said plate in an outward direction and draw the embracing-portion into firm en= gagement with the pipe. The'nut maybe held against turning by any suitable means.

In; the embodiment of shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the nut 12 is made smaller and does not engage the loop-like portions of the wire, but'instead' is adapted.

to be moved along on the shank of the bolt against theconnecting-plate, thereby exertmg a strain on said connecting-plate in an outward direction to cause the embracing portion to firmly engage the pipe. instance the nut willbe held-by a wrench and the screw turned or "vice, versa. Furthermore, in the modification here shown the end-portion of the wire is refleXed and the two strands are both bent 'to form an em bracing-portion with loop-like ends.

the invention as the plate, to thereby The ground-terminal device here shown may be arranged and simple and easy to manufacture.

claim 1. A ductors, consisting of atwire conductor bent to form an embracing-portion for embracing applied by an ungrounding-device for electric conthe ground terminal, and having loop-like, ends, a connecting-plate having slots extended inward from its opposite edges to receive the wire at the loop-like ends of'the embracing-portion, and means to engage the ground terminal and to exert upon said plate an outing the ground terminal, and having loopward thrust to cause the embracing-portion like ends, a connecting-plate arranged for -20 to tightly engage the terminal. engagement with the wire at the loop-like 2A grounding-device for electric-conends ofthe embracing-portion, a bolt asso- 5 ductors, consisting of a wire conductor bent ciated with said plate, its screw extending to form an embracing-portion for embracthrough a hole in the plate and engaging the ing the ground termlnal, and having loopterminal, and its nut arranged on the thread- 25 likev ends, a connecting-plate havin slots ed shank of the screw at the inside of the extended inward from its opposite e ges-to plate, which nut is held from turning by en- 10 receive the wire at the 1ooplike ends of the gaging the loop-like ends of the embracingembraoing-portion, and a" bolt associated portion. a

with said plate, its screw extending through In testimony whereof, I have signed my 30 I a hole in the plate and engaging the tername to thisspecification, in the presence of minal and its nut arranged for engagement two SubSCK'lb1I lv% 1EvvLitnesses.

15 with the inside of the plate. LIAM H. BLOOD, JR.

3. A grounding-device for electric-con- Witnesses: ductors, consisting of a wire conductor bent I B. J. NoYEs,

to form an embracing-portion for embrac- H. B. DAVIS. 

